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PT. III. Sect. x. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-BZE.
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sume them. It is only the true man who can escape both from the external and internal punishment.'
10. Confucius said, 'The minds of men are more difficult of approach than (the position defended by) mountains and rivers, and more difficult to know than Heaven itself. Heaven has its periods of spring and autumn, of winter and summer, and of morning and evening ; but man's exterior is thickly veiled, and his feelings lie deep. Thus the demeanour of some is honest-like, and yet they go to excess in what is mean); others are really gifted, and yet look to be without ability; some seem docile and impressible, but yet they have far-reaching schemes ; others look firm, and yet may be twisted about; others look slow, and yet they are hasty. In this way those who hasten to do what is right as if they were thirsty will anon hurry away from it as if it were fire. Hence the superior man looks at them when employed at a distance to test their fidelity, and when employed near at hand to test their reverence. By employing them on difficult services, he tests their ability ; by questioning them suddenly, he tests their knowledge; by appointing them a fixed time, he tests their good faith ; by entrusting them with wealth, he tests their benevolence; by telling them of danger, he tests their self-command in emergencies; by making them drunk, he tests their tendencies?; by placing them in a variety of society, he tests their chastity:-by these nine tests the inferior man is discovered.'
11. When Khâo-fù, the Correct?, received the first
1 Is this equivalent to the adage 'In vino veritas?' ? A famous ancestor of Confucius in the eighth century B. C.,
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Digitized by Google
| SR No. | 007682 |
| Book Title | Questions of King Milinda Part 02 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | T W Rhys Davids |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1894 |
| Total Pages | 2240 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 38 MB |